Saturday, June 18

Sorry everyone for such a long wait on this one. After my computer died it took a bit of effort getting back into this and also with work and assignments it's been a long break. I'll try and start doing this a bit more regularly again, but no promises. Sorry.

On to the story!

Till Hammerette’s heels kicked up dust as she walked through the dirt streets of Pirate Cove Town. The Cove had seemed like a good place to start, but now she was here she had no idea where to look. She didn’t know the Chairman well enough to slip into his mind and consider “if I were the Chairman where would I be?” so after hours of inconsequential searching she wandered around the streets of the pirate town heading, in a round-about way, towards the docks. Eventually Till admitted that this might not be something she could do on her own.

Forlorn and weary, Till stumbled into a tavern, The Typical Tavern, and ordered a drink. There had been a pirate tavern Till had frequented back in her old bootlegging days at the Pirate Bay on the mainland which had been characterised by loud, filthy pirates, fighting, spilling drinks and playing rounds of Insult Pong. The tavern Till now found herself in was nothing like µTavern and the name, Typical Tavern seemed rather unfitting. The patrons of the Typical Tavern wore clean, neatly pressed collared shirts. No one shouted and no one pushed. The tables were clean and the floors freshly mopped. Not a drop of alcohol had been spilt anywhere within the property. What appalled Till the most was the abundance of pleases and thank you’s and the serious lack of anything that resembled Insult Pong. In a quiet form of rebellion Till dipped her index finger into her pint of rum and used to the liquid to trace “R+” onto the bar.

MEANWHILE in Maddog’s Lair:

“Madpup! Will you be my friend?” Penguins begged, reaching out her hand to pat him.

“No.” Maddog snapped his teeth at her extended hand.

“Madpup! Will you please be my friend?” Penguins begged, reaching out to pat him.

“No.” Maddog snapped at her hand.

“Madpup, be my friend?” Penguins reached out to pat him.

“No.” Maddog snapped at her.

“Madpup, please be my friend?” Penguins begged.

“No.” Maddog snapped.

“Madpup, be my friend?”

“No.”

“Madpup –”

“No.”

MEANWHILE in the basement of the Chairman’s abandoned lair:

“You’re right.” O’Malley nodded. “I should give him a piece of my mind.”

“Good for you!” Laura clapped, “I was just trying to find him. Maybe we can go together?”

O’Malley considered this. He would certainly feel braver about confronting the Chairman if he had his new friend with him. “Zat vould be very nice.” He replied, smiling and showing off his pointed canines.

“Awesome!” Laura cheered, “Lead the way!”

“Right… Uh… It’s this way.” O’Malley led on.

MEANWHILE: back in Pirate Cove:

Till flicked her fingers, signalling to the barkeeper to poor another glass. Early on through the first she had reasoned to question those in the bar about the Chairman’s whereabouts but by the time she had finished the glass and questioned three patrons she came to the conclusion that it was not a task to be done sober. Now on her fifth glass Till approached a young, bishonen pirate lounging in a booth, drinking sake and making eyes at two ladies across the room.

“You. I need information. Now.” She greeted the pirate.

He looked up and her and beamed, showing off his teeth. “Well, how you doing?” He nodded at her. “The name’s Tom, who might I have the pleasure of speaking to?”

“Sure, sure.” Tom waved for her to sit down beside him but instead Till just crossed her arms across her chest and glared. Tom sighed. “He’s got this really gorgeous chick who works for him. Kind of nerdy. All glasses, books and sarcasm. Real top-notch girl. Zella’s her name, I think, Zella-Kate.”